Case Events - Zidar

(updated 5/4/04)

All defendants involved in the criminal case have been sentenced. For updated information regarding recovered funds and assets, and the claim and distribution process to victims, please go to the receivers website or you may call them toll-free at (866) 686-9753.

DATE

EVENTS

3/28/01

A Federal Grand Jury returns an indictment against five defendants, John Wayne Zidar, Elizabeth Anne Phillips, John Wesley Matthews, William Hughes Cravens and Steven Craig Moreland for Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Money Laundering and Conspiracy. Arrest warrants issued for all five defendants.

3/29/01

On March 19, 2001, in a related case, United States v. Larry Hall, a/k/a Bud Riley, CR01-100BJR, the defendant was charged with one count of mail fraud. On March 29, 2001, defendant Hall pleaded guilty to the charges against him. As part of the plea agreement, the defendant agreed to cooperate with the government. The defendant remains free on bond pending final sentencing.

4/03/01

Defendants Zidar, Moreland, Cravens and Matthews are arrested.

4/09/01

Defendant Phillips is arrested.

4/10/01
to
4/26/01

All Defendants transported to the Western District of Washington. Defendants Zidar, Phillips, Matthews and Moreland are arraigned. A jury trial is scheduled to begin June 11, 2001, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Barbara J. Rothstein. All defendants are remanded into custody.

5/15/01

Trial date continued to October 15, 2001, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Barbara J. Rothstein.

7/17/01
to
7/20/02

Defendant John Wayne Zidar files a motion to continue trial until May 2002. In response to this motion, Judge Rothstein continues trial until February 4, 2002. All defendants remain in custody.

9/13/01

A Federal Grand Jury returns a superseding indictment against John Wayne Zidar, John Wesley Matthews, William Hughes Cravens and Steven Craig Moreland. (Defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud and conspiracy on April 17, 2001).

10/17/01

At the request of defendants Zidar and Matthews, Judge Rothstein continues the trial date until
March 25, 2002. All defendants remain in custody pending trial.

11/14/01

Defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips is released on bond with special conditions pending final sentencing.

11/16/01

Judge Barbara J. Rothstein grants defendant William Hughes Craven's motion for release. Defendant is released on bond with special conditions pending trial.

1/8/02

A second superseding indictment is filed against defendants John Wayne Zidar, John Wesley Matthews, William Hughes Cravens and Steven Craig Moreland. Defendants Zidar, Matthews and Moreland remain in custody pending trial.

2/21/02

Judge Barbara J. Rothstein grants defendant John Wesley Matthews' motion for a continuance of the trial date. The trial is now scheduled to begin June 10, 2002 at 9:30 a.m.

5/15/02

At request of defense counsel for defendant Moreland, the start date of the trial is continued for two weeks. The trial will now begin June 24, 2002.

5/28/02

Defendant John Matthews pleads guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum period of imprisonment of 5 years. As part of the plea agreement, Matthews has agreed to cooperate with the government. He has also agreed to forfeit all funds and assets acquired with fraud proceeds, and have these funds and assets applied toward restitution. The defendant remains in custody pending final sentencing.

6/3/02

Defendant William Cravens pleads guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum period of imprisonment of 5 years. As part of the plea agreement, Cravens has agreed to cooperate with the government. He has also agreed to forfeit all funds and assets acquired with fraud proceeds, and have these funds and assets applied toward restitution. The defendant remains free on bond pending final sentencing.

7/8/02

The jury trial for defendants John Wayne Zidar and Steven Craig Moreland began on June 24, 2002. Two weeks of trial are complete. The government anticipates that it will take approximately two more weeks to complete presentation of its case against the defendants. At that point, the defense will begin calling witnesses on behalf of the defendants. We hope that the entire trial will be completed by the end of July or early August. We will update this page when a verdict has been reached by the jury. We appreciate your continued patience during the prosecution of this case. If you have any additional questions, please call (800) 797-6722 to reach the victim-witness unit.

8/14/02

After less than two days of deliberation, a verdict was returned by the jury on August 14, 2002. Defendant John Wayne Zidar was found guilty on all counts. Defendant Steven C. Moreland was found guilty on 14 of 20 counts. Both defendants were convicted of counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The U.S. Attorney's Office will now begin working with the receiver appointed by the SEC regarding the funds and assets that have been seized as a part of this case. More information will be posted on this web site once a restitution claim process has been determined.

9/18/02

Sentencing hearing dates have been set for all defendants in this case. The dates are as follows:

For defendant John Matthews - October 3, 2002
For defendant William Cravens - October 25, 2002
For defendants Stephen Moreland and John Wayne Zidar - November 15, 2002
For defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips - December 6, 2002
For defendant Larry Hall (a/k/a Bud Riley, related case # CR01-100R) - November 22, 2002

10/03/02

Defendant John Wesley Matthews is sentenced by the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein to forty-eight (48) months incarceration (with credit for time served), followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution (the amount to be determined) and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment. Restitution will be joint and several with the other defendants in this case.

10/04/02

The sentencing hearing date for defendant William Hughes Cravens and for defendant Steven Craig Moreland has been continued to January 17, 2003 at 9:30 a.m., before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Western District of Washington. The sentencing dates for defendants John Wayne Zidar, Larry Hall and Elizabeth Anne Phillips remain the same as listed above.

11/13/02

There have been a number of continuances for the sentencing hearings for the defendants in this case. Please see the information below for the most current information regarding sentencing hearing dates and times:

Defendant John Matthews was sentenced 10/3/02. See above for details.
Defendant Larry Hall (a/k/a Bud Riley, related case #CR01-100R) - November 22, 2002
Defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips - December 6, 2002

11/15/02

The sentencing hearing for defendant Larry Hall a/k/a Bud Riley (related case CR01-100R) has been continued to 2/14/03 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.

11/26/02

The sentencing hearing for defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips has been continued to 2/14/03 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.

12/20/02

The receiver in this case is beginning the process of distributing information to victims regarding the funds and assets recovered in this case. You may obtain updated information regarding this process directly from the receiver at http://www.zidarreceivership.com

1/10/03

The sentencing hearing date for defendants William Cravens, Stephen Moreland and John Wayne Zidar has been continued. The new sentencing dates are as follows:

Defendants John Wayne Zidar and Stephen Moreland - February 7, 2003
Defendant William Cravens - February 28, 2003

2/4/03
There have been changes to the sentencing hearing dates for all defendants in this case. Please see below for the most up-to-date information regarding the sentencing hearing dates:

Defendant William Cravens - February 27, 2003
Defendant Stephen Moreland - April 4, 2003
Defendant Larry Hall (related case CR01-100R) - April 18, 2003
Defendants John Wayne Zidar & Elizabeth Anne Phillips - April 25, 2003

All sentencing hearings in this case are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington. If you are interested in submitting a victim impact statement to the court for any or all of the above defendants, please click on the link entitled "Victim Impact Statement" located at the top of this page. If you are planning on attending any of the hearings and need directions to the courthouse, please contact the Victim-Witness Unit at (800) 797-6722. Please note that hearing times and dates can be changed at very short notice. If you are planning on attending the sentencing hearing for any or all defendants, we recommend that you call the toll-free case notification line at (888) 236-1915 the day before the hearing to verify that it is still taking place as originally scheduled.

2/24/03

The sentencing hearing for William Cravens has been continued. A new date for the hearing has not yet been set by the court.

2/24/03

The sentencing hearing dates for defendants William Cravens and Elizabeth Anne Phillips have been continued to Friday, July 18, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.

3/4/03

The sentencing hearing date for defendant Steven Craig Moreland has been continued to Friday, June 13, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.

3/31/03

The sentencing date for defendant John Wayne Zidar has been continued to Friday, June 13, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.

4/14/03
The sentencing date for defendant Larry Hall, related case CR01-100R, has been continued to Friday, July 25, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.

6/12/03
There have been additional changes to the sentencing hearing dates for all remaining defendants in this case. Please see below for the most up-to-date information:

John Wayne Zidar - July 11, 2003
Larry Hall - July 25, 2003
Stephen Moreland - July 25, 2003
William Cravens - August 22, 2003
Elizabeth Anne Phillips - August 22, 2003

All sentencing hearings in this case are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington. Please note that hearing times and dates can change at very short notice. If you are planning on attending the sentencing hearing for any or all defendants, please call (800) 797-6722 the day before the hearing to verify that it is still taking place as originally scheduled.

7/11/03

The sentencing hearing for defendant John Wayne Zidar began as scheduled on July 11, 2003. However, due to issues regarding the sentencing range to be imposed, the hearing took longer than expected and no conclusion was reached by the Court. The sentencing hearing has been continued to July 25, 2003.

7/28/03

Defendant John W. Zidar was sentenced by United States District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein to 30 years incarceration.

7/29/03
The sentencing hearing for defendant Larry Hall has been continued to July 30, 2003. The sentencing hearing for defendant Steven C. Moreland has been continued to August 22, 2003.

7/30/03

Defendant Larry Hall a/k/a Bud Riley was sentenced by Judge Barbara J. Rothstein to 20 months incarceration, followed by 3 years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date.

8/12/03
The sentencing hearings for defendants William Cravens and Elizabeth Anne Phillips have been continued to November 2003. A specific hearing date has not yet been set.

8/22/03

Defendant Steven C. Moreland was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein to 292 months imprisonment.

10/22/03

The sentencing hearing for defendants Elizabeth Anne Phillips and William Hughes Cravens has been set for Thursday, December 11, 2003, at 10:30 a.m.

12/01/03
The sentencing hearing for defendants Elizabeth Anne Phillips and William Hughes Cravens has been advanced to Wednesday, December 10, 2003, at 10:30 a.m.

12/10/03

Defendants William Cravens and Elizabeth Anne Phillips were sentenced today by the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein. Defendant Cravens was sentenced to 48 months incarceration (with credit for time served), followed by 3 years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. Defendant Phillips was sentenced to 24 months incarceration (with credit for time served), followed by 3 years of supervised release. Ms. Phillips was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment, and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date.

All defendants involved in the criminal case have been sentenced. For updated information regarding recovered funds and assets, and the claim and distribution process to victims, please go to the receivers website.

This site does not contain all press releases or court filings and is not an official record of proceedings. Users should contact the Clerk of Courts for the United States District Court for official copies of documents and public information.

The United States Attorney's Office

Western District of Washington

USAO Home Page

Case Events - Zidar

DATE	EVENTS
3/28/01	A Federal Grand Jury returns an indictment against five defendants, John Wayne Zidar, Elizabeth Anne Phillips, John Wesley Matthews, William Hughes Cravens and Steven Craig Moreland for Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Money Laundering and Conspiracy. Arrest warrants issued for all five defendants.
3/29/01	On March 19, 2001, in a related case, United States v. Larry Hall, a/k/a Bud Riley, CR01-100BJR, the defendant was charged with one count of mail fraud. On March 29, 2001, defendant Hall pleaded guilty to the charges against him. As part of the plea agreement, the defendant agreed to cooperate with the government. The defendant remains free on bond pending final sentencing.
4/03/01	Defendants Zidar, Moreland, Cravens and Matthews are arrested.
4/09/01	Defendant Phillips is arrested.
4/10/01 to 4/26/01	All Defendants transported to the Western District of Washington. Defendants Zidar, Phillips, Matthews and Moreland are arraigned. A jury trial is scheduled to begin June 11, 2001, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Barbara J. Rothstein. All defendants are remanded into custody.
5/15/01	Trial date continued to October 15, 2001, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Barbara J. Rothstein.
7/17/01 to 7/20/02	Defendant John Wayne Zidar files a motion to continue trial until May 2002. In response to this motion, Judge Rothstein continues trial until February 4, 2002. All defendants remain in custody.
9/13/01	A Federal Grand Jury returns a superseding indictment against John Wayne Zidar, John Wesley Matthews, William Hughes Cravens and Steven Craig Moreland. (Defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud and conspiracy on April 17, 2001).
10/17/01	At the request of defendants Zidar and Matthews, Judge Rothstein continues the trial date until March 25, 2002. All defendants remain in custody pending trial.
11/14/01	Defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips is released on bond with special conditions pending final sentencing.
11/16/01	Judge Barbara J. Rothstein grants defendant William Hughes Craven's motion for release. Defendant is released on bond with special conditions pending trial.
1/8/02	A second superseding indictment is filed against defendants John Wayne Zidar, John Wesley Matthews, William Hughes Cravens and Steven Craig Moreland. Defendants Zidar, Matthews and Moreland remain in custody pending trial.
2/21/02	Judge Barbara J. Rothstein grants defendant John Wesley Matthews' motion for a continuance of the trial date. The trial is now scheduled to begin June 10, 2002 at 9:30 a.m.
5/15/02	At request of defense counsel for defendant Moreland, the start date of the trial is continued for two weeks. The trial will now begin June 24, 2002.
5/28/02	Defendant John Matthews pleads guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum period of imprisonment of 5 years. As part of the plea agreement, Matthews has agreed to cooperate with the government. He has also agreed to forfeit all funds and assets acquired with fraud proceeds, and have these funds and assets applied toward restitution. The defendant remains in custody pending final sentencing.
6/3/02	Defendant William Cravens pleads guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum period of imprisonment of 5 years. As part of the plea agreement, Cravens has agreed to cooperate with the government. He has also agreed to forfeit all funds and assets acquired with fraud proceeds, and have these funds and assets applied toward restitution. The defendant remains free on bond pending final sentencing.
7/8/02	The jury trial for defendants John Wayne Zidar and Steven Craig Moreland began on June 24, 2002. Two weeks of trial are complete. The government anticipates that it will take approximately two more weeks to complete presentation of its case against the defendants. At that point, the defense will begin calling witnesses on behalf of the defendants. We hope that the entire trial will be completed by the end of July or early August. We will update this page when a verdict has been reached by the jury. We appreciate your continued patience during the prosecution of this case. If you have any additional questions, please call (800) 797-6722 to reach the victim-witness unit.
8/14/02	After less than two days of deliberation, a verdict was returned by the jury on August 14, 2002. Defendant John Wayne Zidar was found guilty on all counts. Defendant Steven C. Moreland was found guilty on 14 of 20 counts. Both defendants were convicted of counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The U.S. Attorney's Office will now begin working with the receiver appointed by the SEC regarding the funds and assets that have been seized as a part of this case. More information will be posted on this web site once a restitution claim process has been determined.
9/18/02	Sentencing hearing dates have been set for all defendants in this case. The dates are as follows: For defendant John Matthews - October 3, 2002 For defendant William Cravens - October 25, 2002 For defendants Stephen Moreland and John Wayne Zidar - November 15, 2002 For defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips - December 6, 2002 For defendant Larry Hall (a/k/a Bud Riley, related case # CR01-100R) - November 22, 2002
10/03/02	Defendant John Wesley Matthews is sentenced by the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein to forty-eight (48) months incarceration (with credit for time served), followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution (the amount to be determined) and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment. Restitution will be joint and several with the other defendants in this case.
10/04/02	The sentencing hearing date for defendant William Hughes Cravens and for defendant Steven Craig Moreland has been continued to January 17, 2003 at 9:30 a.m., before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Western District of Washington. The sentencing dates for defendants John Wayne Zidar, Larry Hall and Elizabeth Anne Phillips remain the same as listed above.
11/13/02	There have been a number of continuances for the sentencing hearings for the defendants in this case. Please see the information below for the most current information regarding sentencing hearing dates and times: Defendant John Matthews was sentenced 10/3/02. See above for details. Defendant Larry Hall (a/k/a Bud Riley, related case #CR01-100R) - November 22, 2002 Defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips - December 6, 2002
11/15/02	The sentencing hearing for defendant Larry Hall a/k/a Bud Riley (related case CR01-100R) has been continued to 2/14/03 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.
11/26/02	The sentencing hearing for defendant Elizabeth Anne Phillips has been continued to 2/14/03 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.
12/20/02	The receiver in this case is beginning the process of distributing information to victims regarding the funds and assets recovered in this case. You may obtain updated information regarding this process directly from the receiver at http://www.zidarreceivership.com
1/10/03	The sentencing hearing date for defendants William Cravens, Stephen Moreland and John Wayne Zidar has been continued. The new sentencing dates are as follows: Defendants John Wayne Zidar and Stephen Moreland - February 7, 2003 Defendant William Cravens - February 28, 2003
2/4/03	There have been changes to the sentencing hearing dates for all defendants in this case. Please see below for the most up-to-date information regarding the sentencing hearing dates: Defendant William Cravens - February 27, 2003 Defendant Stephen Moreland - April 4, 2003 Defendant Larry Hall (related case CR01-100R) - April 18, 2003 Defendants John Wayne Zidar & Elizabeth Anne Phillips - April 25, 2003 All sentencing hearings in this case are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington. If you are interested in submitting a victim impact statement to the court for any or all of the above defendants, please click on the link entitled "Victim Impact Statement" located at the top of this page. If you are planning on attending any of the hearings and need directions to the courthouse, please contact the Victim-Witness Unit at (800) 797-6722. Please note that hearing times and dates can be changed at very short notice. If you are planning on attending the sentencing hearing for any or all defendants, we recommend that you call the toll-free case notification line at (888) 236-1915 the day before the hearing to verify that it is still taking place as originally scheduled.
2/24/03	The sentencing hearing for William Cravens has been continued. A new date for the hearing has not yet been set by the court.
2/24/03	The sentencing hearing dates for defendants William Cravens and Elizabeth Anne Phillips have been continued to Friday, July 18, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.
3/4/03	The sentencing hearing date for defendant Steven Craig Moreland has been continued to Friday, June 13, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.
3/31/03	The sentencing date for defendant John Wayne Zidar has been continued to Friday, June 13, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.
4/14/03	The sentencing date for defendant Larry Hall, related case CR01-100R, has been continued to Friday, July 25, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington.
6/12/03	There have been additional changes to the sentencing hearing dates for all remaining defendants in this case. Please see below for the most up-to-date information: John Wayne Zidar - July 11, 2003 Larry Hall - July 25, 2003 Stephen Moreland - July 25, 2003 William Cravens - August 22, 2003 Elizabeth Anne Phillips - August 22, 2003 All sentencing hearings in this case are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. before the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein, United States District Court, Seattle, Washington. Please note that hearing times and dates can change at very short notice. If you are planning on attending the sentencing hearing for any or all defendants, please call (800) 797-6722 the day before the hearing to verify that it is still taking place as originally scheduled.
7/11/03	The sentencing hearing for defendant John Wayne Zidar began as scheduled on July 11, 2003. However, due to issues regarding the sentencing range to be imposed, the hearing took longer than expected and no conclusion was reached by the Court. The sentencing hearing has been continued to July 25, 2003.
7/28/03	Defendant John W. Zidar was sentenced by United States District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein to 30 years incarceration.
7/29/03	The sentencing hearing for defendant Larry Hall has been continued to July 30, 2003. The sentencing hearing for defendant Steven C. Moreland has been continued to August 22, 2003.
7/30/03	Defendant Larry Hall a/k/a Bud Riley was sentenced by Judge Barbara J. Rothstein to 20 months incarceration, followed by 3 years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date.
8/12/03	The sentencing hearings for defendants William Cravens and Elizabeth Anne Phillips have been continued to November 2003. A specific hearing date has not yet been set.
8/22/03	Defendant Steven C. Moreland was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein to 292 months imprisonment.
10/22/03	The sentencing hearing for defendants Elizabeth Anne Phillips and William Hughes Cravens has been set for Thursday, December 11, 2003, at 10:30 a.m.
12/01/03	The sentencing hearing for defendants Elizabeth Anne Phillips and William Hughes Cravens has been advanced to Wednesday, December 10, 2003, at 10:30 a.m.
12/10/03	Defendants William Cravens and Elizabeth Anne Phillips were sentenced today by the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein. Defendant Cravens was sentenced to 48 months incarceration (with credit for time served), followed by 3 years of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. Defendant Phillips was sentenced to 24 months incarceration (with credit for time served), followed by 3 years of supervised release. Ms. Phillips was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment, and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. All defendants involved in the criminal case have been sentenced. For updated information regarding recovered funds and assets, and the claim and distribution process to victims, please go to the receivers website.